Packs for preparing beverages

ABSTRACT

Pack ( 1 ) with an inner volume ( 2 ) in which at least two different food or beverage ingredients ( 71, 72 ) are stored and in which a beverage is produced when water is introduced inside, said inner volume ( 2 ) being defined by sheets of material ( 10 ) joined to one another at their edges and said inner volume ( 2 ) presenting a generally plane shape defining a plane (P) vertically oriented during beverage production, said pack comprising at least one inlet ( 3 ) for introducing water in the inner volume and at least one outlet ( 4 ) for delivering the beverage from said inner volume, said water inlet and said beverage outlet being positioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material ( 10 ), and wherein the inner volume ( 2 ) includes a plurality of compartments ( 21, 22 ), the compartments being separated by at least one releasable or separable bond ( 6 ).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packs and machines for the preparationof foods or beverages from packs comprising a food or beverageingredient.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to prepare beverages by introducing a capsule containing abeverage making ingredient, such as ground coffee or instant coffee, ina beverage dispensing machine and injecting water into the capsule. Thebeverage making ingredient is extracted or dissolved into water to formthe beverage. The beverage flows out of the capsule through a suitableoutlet.

Different capsules have been developed in the past that candifferentiate at least by the nature of the capsule body used forstoring the food or beverage ingredient. Whereas most of the capsulesare made of a rigid body or semi-rigid body (e.g. made though injectionmoulding, thermoforming, deep drawing, . . . ) flexible types of packsor sachets can be made out of foil materials. Flexible packs havegenerally the advantage to semi-rigid and rigid capsules that lessamount of material is used to pack the product which leads to overallless production cost and lower life cycle impact shown in severallife-cycle assessments.

WO 99/05044, GB 2 374 856 and WO 2012/175985 describe such a flexiblepack made of two sheets of flexible air- and liquid-impermeable materialbonded on theirs edges to define an inner volume for storing thebeverage ingredient. The pack comprises an inlet nozzle at its top forintroducing water that is mixed with the beverage ingredient inside theinner volume. The beverage is evacuated through a beverage outlet at thebottom of the sachet. The outlet is created further to bursting of thepack under the pressure of water introduced in the sachet. Generally theoutlet is created due to the separation of the bottom edges of theflexible sheets further to the effect of heat or pressure in the sachet.According to a particular embodiment a spout can be introduced at thebottom of the pack: in that embodiment, the bottom edges of the flexiblesheets do not separate and the beverage is evacuated by the spout.

These flexible sachets present drawbacks. Generally the opening of thebeverage outlet is obtained by increase of pressure inside the sachet.Yet this pressure increase is not recommended for the preparation ofsome beverages because it creates bubbles at the surface of thebeverage; for example it is not desired for the preparation of tea.Besides there can be a risk that the packages may not rupture at thedesired pressure and that it can finally opens up in an uncontrollableexplosion. For this reason the apparatus comprises means for totallyenclosing the pack in the machine during beverage preparation and avoiddamages or injuries for the operator.

WO 2011/024103 describes a pack for preparing a beverage defining aninner volume for storing the beverage ingredient. The inner volume isclosed at its top by a rigid piece that integrates the water inlet andthe beverage outlet. Such a pack only enables the preparation of flatbeverages obtained by the circulation of water through a food ingredientlike roast and ground coffee without pressure. No multi-componentsbeverage can be produced from such a pack.

WO 2011/054402 describes a capsule with an interior space comprising afirst beverage ingredient and a floating insert, said floating insertcomprising a second beverage ingredient. Dual-layered beverages can beobtained by introducing water in the interior space to produce a firstcomponent of the beverage and then destroying the floating insert toproduce a second component of the beverage. Such a capsule is complex interms of manufacturing. During the beverage preparation the capsule ishorizontally oriented and consequently beverage is not freely evacuatedfrom the interior space: for this reason the machine comprises a pistonto empty the capsule.

It is now proposed a new pack for the preparation of a food or beveragethat improves the above problems in terms of manufacturing, beveragepreparation simplicity and cleanliness leading to an optimal overallbeverage quality.

Moreover the present invention aims to propose a range of flexible packsthat can be used for preparing different types beverages from at leasttwo different beverage components, said components being separatelystored in the packs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect, the invention concerns a pack with an innervolume in which at least two different food or beverage ingredients arestored and in which a beverage is produced when water is introducedinside,

said inner volume being defined by sheets of material joined to oneanother at their edges and said inner volume presenting a generallyplane shape defining a plane (P) vertically oriented during beverageproduction,said pack comprising at least one inlet for introducing water in theinner volume and at least one outlet for delivering the beverage fromsaid inner volume, said water inlet and said beverage outlet beingpositioned at the bottom of the pack and being at least partiallypositioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material, andwherein the inner volume includes a plurality of compartments, thecompartments being separated by at least one releasable or separablebond, andwherein the water inlet and the water outlet are positioned between twojoined edges of the sheets of material so that they both establish fluidcommunication within the same compartment.

Preferably the pack comprises two sheets joined to one another to definethe inner volume. As a consequence the pack looks like a pouch orsachet. The sheets are preferably flexible water impermeable sheets.Consequently the pack itself is substantially flexible. By flexible, itis meant that the sheets can be bent easily. The resulting pack can bebent also; it is soft and can be deformed contrary to rigid containers.The flexible sheet material can be plastic laminates, metallised foil oralufoil or fibre base material. According to the invention the twosheets can be formed of one single sheet folded in half and joined atits free edges.

The pack presents a generally plane shape that is essentially verticallyoriented during beverage production.

According to a specific embodiment the pack can comprise more than twosheets, in particular to increase the size of the inner volume. Othersheets can be joined to the two first sheets that defining the innervolume and the generally plane shape according to plane (P); said othersheets creates a doypack shape for the inner volume. In such a specificembodiment the water inlet and the beverage outlet are at leastpartially positioned between two joined edges of the two first sheets ofmaterial that define the generally plane shape (P) of the pack.

Internally the beverage outlet is preferably configured so that itdelivers the beverage as a free flow once it is opened. The beverage canflow from the outlet by simple gravity fall. The tube creates acommunication between the inner volume and outside. An advantage of theoutlet of the pack of the present invention is that there is no need toimplement a particular connection between the beverage outlet and thebeverage machine when a beverage is produced e.g. for directing the flowof beverage delivered at the outlet. The beverage can flow from the packbeverage outlet directly in a drinking cup.

The pack comprises at least one inlet for introducing water in the innervolume and at least one outlet for delivering the beverage from saidinner volume, said water inlet and said beverage outlet being positionedat the bottom of the pack and being at least partially positionedbetween two joined edges of the sheets of material, the external end ofthe water inlet being oriented essentially perpendicularly to the plane(P) defined by the inner volume, whereas the beverage outlet is a tubeextending essentially vertically from the inner volume.

According to this configuration the water inlet and the beverage outletare essentially perpendicularly oriented one to the other. Consequentlythe inlet and the outlet emerge on different sides of the pack. Thisconfiguration limits the contamination risk of the means for introducingwater in the water inlet by the beverage dispensed by the beverageoutlet.

In the present invention the inlet and the outlet can be made in onesingle insert or can be two separate inserts separately positioned inthe pack.

In the present invention the insert(s) is(are) preferably rigid.Preferably the inserts are made of a rigid plastic material. Thisplastic material can be selected in the list of: polypropylene,polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate and polylactic acid. Accordingto a less preferred embodiment the insert can be made out of a metallike aluminium or tin-plate. The insert(s) can be injection molded.

According to the preferred embodiment the insert comprising the waterinlet is positioned in joined bottom edges of the sheets of material sothat the water inlet is closed by one sheet of material defining theinner volume.

According to another less preferred embodiment the water inlet insertcan be positioned in joined bottom edges so that the water inlet is notclosed by one sheet of material defining the inner volume. In that casethe water inlet insert is only partially positioned between two joinededges of the sheets of material.

Generally, the insert comprising the beverage outlet is positioned injoined bottom edges of the sheets of material so that the external endof the beverage outlet is positioned under the joined bottom edges ofthe sheets of material. Preferably the beverage outlet is not covered bythe sheet. Yet it can be visually hidden by a part of the sheet e.g. bya skirt of the sheet.

According to the preferred embodiment, the pack comprises one singleinsert including the water inlet and the beverage outlet, said singleinsert being positioned at the bottom of the pack and being partiallypositioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material.

Preferably, the single insert is positioned in joined bottom edges sothat the water inlet is closed by one sheet of material defining theinner volume. The external end of the beverage outlet is positionedunder the joined bottom edges of the sheets of material.

Less preferably the single insert can be positioned in joined bottomedges so that the water inlet is not closed by one sheet of materialdefining the inner volume. In that case the insert is only partiallypositioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material.

In general the single insert is positioned at or next to the middle ofthe bottom of the pack. It can also be positioned in the corner of thepack when the latter presents a corner.

In the pack the water inlet and the beverage outlet of the pack are bothsimultaneously included in said same single insert. This feature coversthe fact that the water inlet and the beverage outlet are part of thesame insert piece in the pack. Yet this insert can be produced by theassociation of several parts before the complete piece is used formanufacturing the pack. In particular different parts can be attached,e.g. clipped, together to form the final single insert before saidsingle insert is used for manufacturing the pack.

Preferably the single insert of the pack presents a shape forcooperating with the pack receiving area of a beverage productionmachine. In particular it can present a shape configured for sliding inthe slot of the receiving area of a beverage production machine like aniron shape.

According to one preferred mode the pack can be made of only oneflexible material sheet, said sheet being folded at the top of the packand bonded on its edges to define the inner volume, the bottom joinededge including the insert. This embodiment constitutes a particularlyeasy way to manufacture the pack since it requires the cutting of onlyone piece of sheet—most preferably according to a rectangular shape—andits folding to create the inner volume for the food or beverageingredient. The insert(s) can be introduced in the bottom edge duringthe sealing of the edges.

According to a less preferred mode the pack can be made of two flexiblematerial sheets, said sheets being bonded on their edges to define theinner volume, the bottom joined edges including the insert. Theinsert(s) can be introduced in the bottom edges during the sealing ofthese edges, two other side edges of the pack can be bonded so that theinner volume is defined and beverage ingredient can be introduced insaid inner volume. Finally the last edges can be bonded to close theinner volume.

The insert(s) can be positioned at any place at the bottom of the packbetween the both lateral sides of the bottom; it (they) can bepositioned at a bottom lateral side in particular a corner if the packis globally rectangular or at any place between the corners.

According to the present invention the food or beverage ingredient ofthe pack can be comprised within the list of: soups, fruit juices,vegetable juices, bouillons, coffee, chocolate, tea, milk or creamer,smoothies, purees, coulis, creams or a combination thereof.

The food or beverage ingredient can be a soluble food or beverageingredient. Preferably the food or beverage ingredient is a soluble foodor beverage ingredient selected in the list of:

-   -   instant coffee powder, milk powder, cream powder, instant tea        powder, cocoa powder, soup powder, fruit powder or mixture of        said powders,    -   a coffee concentrate, a milk concentrate, a syrup, a fruit or        vegetable concentrate, a tea concentrate, a fruit or vegetable        puree.

The powders can be agglomerated or sintered. The powders or liquidconcentrates can be mixed with solid pieces for example for preparingsoups with solid pieces.

The food or beverage ingredient can also be an infusable food orbeverage ingredient like a roast and ground coffee or tea leaves. Inthat embodiment water extracts the infusable ingredient.

As mentioned above the insert including the water inlet is enclosed inthe pack by the sheet(s) of material that defines the inner volume ofthe pack.

According to a less preferred embodiment the water inlet can bepositioned in the pack so that it is almost totally essentiallyvertically oriented during beverage production.

In the present invention the external end of the water inlet representsthe end of the water inlet channel that cooperates with a water supplyat the outside of the pack whereas the internal end of the water inletrepresents the end of the water inlet channel that delivers water insidethe pack.

According to the preferred embodiment the external end of the waterinlet is oriented essentially perpendicularly to the plane (P) definedby the inner volume. Accordingly the water inlet is at least partiallyessentially horizontally oriented during beverage production.

In said last embodiment the external end of the water inlet ispreferably covered by said sheet of material. Consequently the samepiece of material can be used to simultaneously create the inner volumeof the pack, close the water inlet and protect the external end of thewater end. Due to the enclosure of the beverage inlet in the pack thereis no need for a particular membrane for closing the water inlet. Theinvention provides a pack that is easy to manufacture and guaranteeshygienic and shelf life protection of the food and beverage ingredientand the produced beverage.

Preferably the single insert presents ribs on its external surface forimproving the adhesion with the flexible material sheet during sealing.In particular a raising edge can surround the water inlet so as toimprove air and water tightness around it.

Preferably the insert is configured so that the longitudinal axis of thewater inlet channel at its internal end is almost comprised in thevertically oriented plane P.

Preferably the water inlet can be configured so that the direction ofthe water flow in the external end of the water inlet is almostperpendicular to the direction of the water flow in the internal end ofthe water inlet. In this embodiment the internal design of the waterinlet enables a globally perpendicular change of orientation of thewater flow from the external end of the water inlet (that faces theexternal part of the pack) to the internal end of the water inlet (thatfaces the internal part of the pack).

In a particular mode the external end of the water inlet can comprise aninlet chamber which comprises an evacuation end, said evacuation endbeing an injection hole configured for directing water in the innervolume of the pack in a direction almost perpendicular to the inletchamber longitudinal axis. Preferably the inlet chamber is globallyhorizontally oriented. This chamber is usually configured for receivinga hollow needle for injecting water. It generally presents a circularsection. This chamber presents the advantage of creating a distancebetween the end of the hollow needle and the inner volume which storesthe beverage ingredient and consequently avoids the contamination of theneedle. Most preferably the chamber evacuation end is a hole pierced inthe lateral wall of the chamber.

According to one particular embodiment the water inlet is configured forintroducing water under the form of a jet in the inner volume of thepack. By jet it is understood a stream of liquid that comes out of thewater inlet and in the inner volume of the pack quickly and with force.Then the water inlet is configured for introducing water in the innervolume of the pack with a high velocity. Preferably the water inlet isconfigured for introducing a water jet in the inner volume of the pack,said water jet presenting a velocity of at least about 20 m/s,preferably at least 30 m/s. According to said first embodiment the waterinlet is configured for transforming the pressurized water introduced bya beverage machine in the pack in a high velocity water jet in the innervolume of the pack. Such a configuration can be obtained by placing aconstriction in the water path in the water inlet to reduce the size ofthe section of the water inlet. Due to the small surface of the inletsection pressurized creates a jet of water in the inner volume.

In general the water inlet comprises a hole presenting a transversesection with a surface area equivalent to the surface of a circularsurface of diameter of at most 1 mm, preferably at least 0.24 mm.

The velocity for water emerging from the injection hole usually dependsfrom the pressure of the water introduce at the water inlet. Theinvention generally applies for water pressurised between 2 and 10 bar,preferably of about 7 bar. For such values of pressurized water thewater inlet generally comprises an injection hole presenting atransverse section with a surface area equivalent to the surface of acircular surface of diameter comprised between 0.2 and 0.8 mm,preferably between 0.3 and 0.5 mm and even more preferably of about 0.4mm.

But when water is pressurized at more than 11 bar the water inletpreferably comprises an injection hole presenting a transverse sectionwith a surface area equivalent to the surface of a circular surface ofdiameter comprised between 0.5 and 1.5 mm, preferably of about 1 mm.

The small surface of the injection hole presents the advantage ofavoiding any back flow of liquid contained in the inner volume of thepack through the water inlet.

For the same diluent supply pressure the surface of the diluentinjection hole can vary according to the nature of the food and beverageingredient inside the pack. In particular when the ingredient isdifficult to dissolve a smaller injection hole creates a jet with ahigher velocity which improves agitation and dissolution in the pack.

Preferably the pack presents a plane shape oriented along a planeessentially vertically oriented during beverage production and the waterinlet orientates the jet of water in a direction comprised in saidplane. The water jet introduced from the bottom into the pack isdeveloping into circular and/or spiral movements creating turbulences,frictions and high contact surfaces between the water molecules and theproduct particles. In average the water molecules have several turnswithin the sachet until they leave the sachet with the beverage. Packswith single insert placed in the corner of an essentially rectangularpack also improve reconstitution.

This particular embodiment with creation of a jet is particularlyinteresting for packs comprising soluble beverage ingredients.

According to another particular embodiment the creation of a water jetin the pack is not desirable, for example for packs comprising infusableingredients. Consequently the size of the water injection hole can beconfigured to avoid a jet in the inner volume of the pack.

According to the preferred embodiment of the invention, before beveragepreparation step, the beverage outlet is closed at its end. Generallythe beverage outlet is closed by manufacturing and is configured forbeing opened at beverage production step. By “closed by manufacturing”it is meant that the pack is manufactured with a closed beverage outlet.This closure guarantees hygienic and shelf life protection.

According to said embodiment the beverage outlet can be closed by a plugconfigured for being removed from the beverage outlet to open it atbeverage production and said plug comprising a bond attached to thepack, preferably to the single insert, for maintaining the plug attachedto the pack after the opening of the beverage outlet, said plug beingpositioned under the joined bottom edges of the sheets of material.

Since the beverage outlet is closed by a plug, said plug comprisingmeans for maintaining it attached to the pack after the opening of thebeverage outlet, the plug does not fall in the beverage during itsproduction. The means for maintaining the plug attached to the pack isusually a bond, said bond is preferably attached to the single insert.

Preferably the plug is part the single insert comprising the beverageoutlet and the water inlet. Preferably the beverage outlet is a pipe andthe connection between said pipe and the plug presents a mechanicalweakness. This mechanical weakness can be a narrowing so that it can bemade easy to cut or tear off the plug with a beverage outlet openingdevice of a beverage preparation machine. This reduced transversalsection of the connection between the plug and the beverage outlet pipecreates a weakness. As a consequence the fact of pulling on the plug,facilitates the tearing of the material, of which the single insert ismade of, at the level of this connection. The plug can be pulledaccording to a downwardly oriented direction or a laterally orienteddirection or a combination of these both directions.

Preferably the connection between the pipe and the plug presents asmaller section than the plug upper surface and preferably smaller thanthe pipe section. Since the plug upper surface is larger than theconnection section, it provides a surface to have a hold to tear theplug or to anchor a pulling device, for example to anchor a tearingdevice like the teeth of a fork.

Preferably the bond is attached to the single insert for maintaining theplug attached to the pack after the opening of the beverage outlet isconfigured for being bent. Consequently after being bent the plugremains away from the beverage outlet. According to that preference thebond is usually made of plastic. The bond can be made so thin that it isflexible. Once detached from the plug it can be moved away from thebeverage outlet easily by a bond retaining device of a beveragepreparation machine. According to a particular embodiment the plasticbond can present a notch in order to facilitate bending. So the bendingof the bond by the retaining device of the machine is facilitated andthe bond remains bent even if it is not retained by the bond retainingdevice of the machine. Preferably the notch is positioned close to thepoint of attachment of the bond to the single insert.

Preferably the bond is part of the single insert. According to thepreferred embodiment the single insert comprises the water inlet, thebeverage outlet, the plug and the bond of the plug. The single insert ispreferably injection molded. In particular when the insert is injectionmolded, the design of the injection molded insert comprises the plug andthe bond. This injection moulding of the insert including the waterinlet, the beverage outlet, the plug and the bond in one single pieceenables again to reach several aims with the use of only one material:the plastic for producing the insert comprising the water inlet and thebeverage outlet is used to close the external end of the beverageoutlet.

According to the present invention, the inner volume includes aplurality of compartments, said compartments being separated by at leastone releasable or separable bond, and the water inlet and the wateroutlet are positioned between two joined edges of the sheets of materialso that they both establish fluid communication within the samecompartment.

Generally the pack of the invention comprises two compartments. Yetpacks according to the invention can present inner volumes designed withmore than two compartments. Usually at least two of the compartmentscomprise different beverage ingredients. Preferably two next sidedcompartments comprise different beverage ingredients.

The water inlet and the water outlet are both positioned in the edgesbounding the same compartment. Consequently, implicitly, before the packis used there is no inlet and outlet in the other compartments of thepack.

The water inlet and the water outlet create fluid communication with thecompartment comprising the ingredient that must be mixed with water anddispensed first from the pack to produce the beverage.

According to one first mode the inner volume includes a plurality ofcompartments, said compartments being separated by at least onereleasable or separable bond extending across the inner volume betweentwo parts of the joined edges of the sheets of material.

In said first mode the at least one releasable or separable bond canpresent different designs either straight or round or partly straightand round. The design of the at least one releasable or separable bondcan be straight lines separating the inner volume and relatively squarecompartments either vertically or horizontally oriented when the pack isused. The design of the at least one releasable or separable bond can bea half circle or a zigzag. The design of the bond can depend on thevolume of beverage ingredient to be stored inside or from the difficultyfor creating the bond in the pack. The design of the bond can also beconfigured for improving the preparation of the beverage inside thecompartment or to facilitate the separation of the bond.

According to one second mode at least one of the compartments is aninsert, said insert being freely movable inside the inner volume.

In this mode the inner volume defined by the bonded edges of the sheetsof material surrounds the insert that forms the second compartment. Thissecond compartment can surround a second insert that forms a thirdcompartment.

Depending on the nature of the ingredient stored in the compartments andon the type of beverage produced from the pack, the releasable orseparable bond can be of different natures.

According to one embodiment the at least one releasable or separablebond can be made of a water dissolvable material. Usually such a bond ismade of a soluble and edible film placed on the internal surface of atleast one of the sheets so that the two facing surfaces of the sheetsattached together. Such a film can be made of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, propylene glycol, citric acid and modified food starch.

Such a bond is convenient for storing powder ingredient in thecompartments separated by the bond. Preferably such a bond is not usedfor storing a liquid ingredient comprising water in such content thatwater could dissolve the bond. Yet a liquid like oil, perfumed oil canbe stored in a pack comprising such a bond. A liquid or a pastecomprising for example less than 1% weight water can be stored too.

According to another embodiment the at least one releasable or separablebond can be configured for breaking under pressure exerted on the saidbond.

The pressure exerted on the bond can be due to the pressure of waterintroduced inside the first compartment and building up: the bond isforced apart separating or rupturing the inner surfaces of thecompartment and allowing the separated ingredient to mix with oneanother or allowing water to enter in the second compartment.

The pressure on the bond can be exerted by a consumer before the pack isintroduced in the beverage preparation machine for example by pullingthe sheets around the bond. The pressure on the bond can be exerted by adevice in the machine once the pack is introduced in the machine.

Such a bond is convenient for any type of ingredient either in powder orliquid form.

According to the invention the compartments can comprise and storeingredients of different natures that is powders and liquidconcentrates.

The inner volume of the pack stores at least two different food orbeverage ingredients. The different ingredients are stored in differentcompartments. The nature of the ingredient in the different compartmentsdepends on:

-   -   the necessity to store the different ingredients separately,    -   the production of a beverage with a visual effect in the cup,        for example a layered effect. In this last case, the compartment        that does not comprise the water inlet and the water outlet in        its edges comprises an ingredient that is released at a delayed        time relative to other compartment when water is introduced in        the pack to produce beverage.

According to the invention the two joined edges of the sheets ofmaterial defining the inner volume of the pack are not releasable orseparable.

According to one embodiment, the water inlet can be configured forproducing a jet of water in the inner volume, said jet exerting apressure on the at least one releasable or separable bond.

According to a second aspect the invention concerns a method for thepreparation of a food or beverage comprising the steps of:

-   -   providing a pack such as described above and positioning said        pack with the inlet and the outlet positioned downwardly,    -   injecting water into the pack to mix with the food or beverage        ingredient,    -   allowing the prepared beverage to escape through the outlet into        a receptacle.

According to a specific implementation of the method, if the packcomprises at least one releasable or separable bond configured forbreaking under pressure, the method can comprise one short step ofexternally exerting a pressure on the pack in order to break the atleast one releasable or separable bond.

According to one specific mode the customer can be incited to exertmanually the pressure on the pack before inserting it in the machine.

Preferably the pressure is exerted by the machine after the pack hasbeen positioned inside the machine.

compartments are separated by a bond, said bond being designed to open afluid communication between the compartments when interacting with waterintroduced inside the inner volume,

In the present application the terms “bottom”, “top”, “lateral”,“horizontal” and “vertical” are used to describe the relationalpositioning of features of the invention. These terms should beunderstood to refer to the pack in its normal orientation whenintroduced in a beverage preparation machine for the production of abeverage as shown for example in FIGS. 4 and 8.

According to the invention “next to the bottom” means that both theinlet and the outlet are positioned on the bottom edge of the packand/or on the bottom part of one of the lateral sides of the package.The invention covers the different variants where both the inlet and theoutlet are on the same edge of the pack that is both on the bottom edgeor both at the bottom part of a lateral side and where either the outletor the inlet is on the bottom edge and respectively the inlet or theoutlet is at the bottom part of a lateral side of the pack. According tothe invention the bottom part of a lateral side of the pack generallycorresponds to the part of said lateral side positioned below the middlepart of the pack and preferably closer to the bottom part of the packrather than the middle part of the pack.

In the present invention the term “water” covers any aqueous diluentthat can be mixed with a soluble beverage ingredient to prepare abeverage, like water, carbonated water, milk. It is preferably stillwater.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be betterunderstood in relation to the following figures, in which:

FIGS. 1a, 1b, 1c and FIGS. 2a, 2b illustrate packs according to thepresent invention, each pack comprising one single insert,

FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c and FIGS. 4a, 4b illustrate packs according to thepresent invention, each pack comprising two inserts,

FIG. 5 illustrates a variant of the pack of FIG. 1 a,

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for manufacturing a pack according to thepresent invention,

FIG. 7 illustrate a pack and its insert according to one preferredembodiment of the present invention,

FIG. 8 is a variant of the single insert of FIG. 7,

FIGS. 9 to 13 illustrate different embodiments of the inner volume ofpacks according to the present invention,

FIG. 14 illustrates the preparation of a beverage with a pack accordingto the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a is a simplified illustration of pack according to the presentinvention comprising an inner volume 2 in which a food or beverageingredient is stored. The pack comprises at its bottom a single insert5. The dotted lines correspond to the parts of the insert enclosedinside the pack. The insert 5 includes simultaneously a water inlet 3for introducing water in the inner volume and a beverage outlet 4 fordispensing the beverage or food issued from the mixing of the food orbeverage ingredient with water. The pack presents a generally planeshape. It is oriented along a plane P essentially vertically orientedduring beverage production as illustrated in the FIG. 1a . This planeshape is essentially provided by the material that creates and designsthe inner volume 2 of the pack; this material presents the shape of asheet. Said sheet provides the plane shape to the pack. In FIG. 1a theinsert 5 is positioned at the centre of the bottom of the pack, yet itcould be positioned at any other position between the two lateral endsof the bottom.

The internal designs of the water inlet and the beverage outlet arerespectively illustrated in FIG. 1b , which is a view according tosection B-B, and FIG. 1c , which is a view according to section A-A.FIG. 1c shows that the beverage outlet 4 is a straight vertical holepierced in the insert 5. Preferably the beverage outlet 4 presents asufficient section so as to enable a free flow of the beverage from thepack. The beverage can then freely flow in a drinking cup placed underthe beverage outlet 4. FIG. 1b shows that the external end 3 a of thewater inlet is oriented so as to be closed by the sheet of material thatcreates and designs the inner volume 2 of the pack. Said external end 3a comprises and inlet chamber 32. Said chamber present an evacuationhole 31 in its lateral upward wall so as to orient the water flow,preferably in the form of a jet, in the inner volume 2 inside the planeP.

The sheet of material that defined the inner volume 2 covers at leastthe part of the insert 5 so that the water inlet 3 is enclosed in thepack. Consequently the external end 3 a of the water inlet is closed bythe material that defines the inner volume of the pack. In theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1a a part of the beverage outlet—that isits external end 4 a—is not enclosed in the pack.

This embodiment of the invention presents the advantage of providingpacks with inlet and outlet that are not in the vicinity of each other.Actually according to this embodiment the inlet and the outlet are ondifferent sides of the pack: the beverage outlet external end is belowthe bottom of the pack whereas the water inlet external end is at thelateral side of the pack. Such a configuration particularly avoidscontamination of the means for injecting water by the beverage flowingout of the beverage outlet. Besides a beverage preparation machineproviding simultaneously a water injector and a dispensing area at thebottom of the pack receiving area is more difficult to conceive and doesnot enable an optimisation of the different elements of the machine.

FIG. 2a is a variant of the pack of FIG. 1a wherein the insert 5presents an L-shape and is placed in the corner of the inner volume ofthe pack. The beverage outlet 4 presents the same feature as in the packof FIG. 1a . The water inlet is positioned in the upper part of theL-shape insert. The internal shape of the water inlet is illustrated inFIG. 2b that is view of the insert 5 according to section C-C. Theexternal end 3 a of the water inlet comprises an inlet chamber 32 thatis closed by the material that defines the inner volume of the pack. Thechamber presents a essentially horizontal evacuation hole 31 in itslateral wall so as to orient the water flow, preferably in the form of ajet, in the inner volume 2 inside the plane P.

Although FIGS. 1 a, b, c and 2 a, b illustrates packs with single insert5, packs can be made with different inserts for the water inlet 3 andfor the beverage outlet 4 as illustrated in FIGS. 3a, 3b, 3c and FIGS.4a , 4 b.

FIG. 3a presents the same features as the pack of FIG. 1a except thatthe single insert 5 is replaced by two inserts 5 a, 5 b, one comprisingthe beverage outlet 4 and one comprising the water inlet 3. The internaldesigns of the beverage outlet 4 and the water inlet 3 are identical tothose of the beverage outlet 4 and the water inlet 3 of FIG. 1a , asillustrated in cross sections of the inserts 5 b and 5 a according to BBand AA respectively in FIGS. 3b and 3c respectively.

Similarly FIG. 4a presents the same features as the pack of FIG. 2aexcept that the single insert 5 is replaced by two inserts 5 a, 5 b, onecomprising the beverage outlet 4 and one comprising the water inlet 3.The insert 5 a for the beverage outlet is identical to the insert ofFIG. 3a and presents the same internal design as illustrated in FIG. 3c. FIG. 4b is the cross section of the insert 5 b of the water inlet 3according to CC and illustrates the internal design of the water inletinside the insert.

Whatever the type of insert in the packs, the packs can be configured sothat the external end 3 a of the water inlet is not closed by the sheetof material that creates and designs the inner volume 2 of the pack.This embodiment can be due to the fact that the external end 3 a of thewater inlet is closer to the bottom of the insert and/or because thesheet of material does not cover the full surface of the insert 5, forexample the bottom edge 111 of the sheet does not cover the lower partof the insert or presents a notch that does not cover the water inletexternal end. FIG. 5 schematically illustrates such an embodimentwherein only the top part of the single insert 5 is positioned betweenand covered by two joined bottom edges 111 of the sheets of material.The external end 3 a of the water inlet is not covered.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method for manufacturing a pack according to theinvention from a flexible sheet of material. First the sheet of material10 that preferably presents a rectangular shape is folded in its middleand the superposed lateral edges are bonded together which creates pouchwith bonded lateral edges 112, 113 and a folded edge 114. The foldededge 114 can also eventually be sealed to give a comparable aspect asthe lateral edges for aesthetic aspect. Then food or beverage ingredient7 is introduced in the pouch. Then the single insert 5 is placed betweenthe two last opened edges and these edges are bonded together and aroundthe insert to simultaneously close the pack, position the insert andclose the water inlet. According to a less preferred embodiment theinserts of the beverage outlet and the water inlet can be separated.

FIG. 7 illustrates a pack according one preferred embodiment of theinvention. In this illustration the bottom middle part of the innervolume 2 has been made transparent to make the insert 5 apparent. Thepack is preferably a planar sachet: it is oriented along a plane Pessentially vertically oriented during beverage production. inner volume2 is made of flexible material sheet material. The sheet material isbonded on its edges 112, 113, 111 to define the inner volume 2. Thebottom bonded edge 13 includes the single insert 5: the fins 51 and theraising edge 52 around the water inlet 3 on the lateral sides of theinsert improves the adhesion with the flexible material sheet duringsealing.

The insert 5 is a single piece of material preferably of plastic. Itincludes simultaneously a water inlet 3 for introducing water in theinner volume and a beverage outlet 4 for dispensing the beverage or foodissued from the mixing of the food or beverage ingredient with water.

The water inlet 3 presents at its external end 3 a an inlet chamber 32.This chamber is a hollow cavity; it is globally horizontally oriented,that is perpendicularly to the plane P. Its dimensions are configuredfor receiving the hollow needle of a beverage preparation machine inorder to inject water. The inlet chamber presents an evacuation end inits upper lateral wall: this evacuation end corresponds to an injectionhole 31 (illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6) from which water can be injectedin the inner volume 2. Due to the configuration of the water inlet thewater can be injected essentially horizontally at its external end 3 aand, for example, essentially vertically in the inner volume 2 of thepack.

The invention is not limited to this particular design of the waterinlet. For example FIG. 8 illustrates a single insert 5 wherein theinlet chamber 32 comprises two evacuation ends 31 in its side wall. As aconsequence with such an insert water can be introduced in the innervolume of the pack essentially horizontally. In such an insert a part ofthe walls of the inlet chamber is defined by the sheet material coveringthe insert.

Whatever the type of embodiment for the insert, the beverage outlet isan essentially vertical pipe in the insert. It preferably presents adiameter for dispensing the beverage under free flow. The beverageoutlet is preferably closed at its external end by a plug 42. This plugis preferably made of one piece with the rest of the insert.

In the preferred illustrated embodiment the beverage outlet 4 is a pipeand the plug 42 is attached to the end of the pipe. The connection 44between the pipe and the plug 42 presents a smaller section than theplug upper surface 42 a and smaller than the pipe section. Thisconnection creates a weakening narrow zone near the plug 42 so that saidplug can be made easy to cut or to tear.

The pack comprises a plastic bond 43 for maintaining the plug 42attached to the pack after removing of the plug from the beverageoutlet. Consequently it avoids that the plug falls in the beverageduring its production. This bond is made of one piece with the rest ofthe insert. The plastic bond 43 presents a notch 43 a positioned closeto the point 43 b of attachment of the bond to the single insert. Thisnotch enables an easy bending of the bond it guarantees that the plug 42detached from the beverage outlet remains away from the beverage outletand not under the beverage outlet.

The inserts 5 of FIGS. 7 and 8 comprise a centring hole 53 extendingessentially perpendicularly to the generally plane (P) shape of theinner volume and through the insert. It is configured for cooperatingwith the centring and immobilization device of the beverage preparationmachine.

FIG. 9 illustrates the inner volume 2 of a pack according to FIG. 1a .The inner volume includes two compartments 21, 22. These compartmentsstore different beverage ingredients 71, 72. The first compartment 21 isseparated from the second compartment 22 by one releasable or separablebond 6 extending from the bottom joined edges 111 of the sheets ofmaterial up to the top of the inner volume.

The water inlet and the water outlet 4 are positioned between two joinededges 111 so that they both establish fluid communication within thecompartment 21 only.

FIG. 10 illustrates a pack comparable to the pack of FIG. 9 except thatthe inner volume comprises a third compartment 23 separated from thesecond compartment 22 by one releasable or separable bond 61 extendingfrom the bottom joined edges 111 of the sheets of material up to the topof the inner volume. The third compartment 23 stores a third ingredient73 different from the second ingredient 72. Eventually the firstingredient 71 can be the same as the third ingredient 73.

FIG. 11 illustrates the inner volume 2 of a pack according to FIG. 1a .The inner volume includes two compartments 21, 22. These compartmentsstore different beverage ingredients 71, 72. The first compartment 21 isseparated from the second compartment 22 by one releasable or separablebond 6 extending between the lateral joined edges 112, 113 of the sheetsof material.

The water inlet and the water outlet 4 are positioned between two joinededges 111 so that they both establish fluid communication within thecompartment 21 only.

FIG. 12 illustrates a pack comparable to the pack of FIG. 11 except thatthe inner volume comprises a third compartment 23 separated from thesecond compartment 22 by one releasable or separable bond 61 extendingbetween the lateral joined edges 112, 113 of the sheets of material. Thethird compartment 23 stores a third ingredient 73 different from thesecond ingredient 72. Eventually the first ingredient 71 can be the sameas the third ingredient 73.

FIG. 11 illustrates the inner volume 2 of a pack according to FIG. 1a .The inner volume 2 stores a first ingredient 71 and includes an insert72 freely movable inside the inner volume 2. The insert stores a secondingredient 72. The bound of the insert is made of one releasable orseparable bond 6.

Although all FIGS. 9 to 13 are illustrated with the insert of the waterinlet and the beverage outlet such as described in FIG. 1a , otherinserts of FIGS. 1b to 8 can be used according to the embodiments of theinner volume of FIGS. 9 to 13.

FIG. 13 illustrates the interaction of a pack 1 according to the presentinvention with a beverage preparation machine 8 according to the presentinvention. The machine comprises at least :

-   -   a water tank 84,    -   a heater 83 for heating water,    -   a bypass line 87 for delivering ambient water,    -   a valve (not illustrated) for the selection of either hot or        ambient water,    -   a pump 82 for pumping water. The pump can deliver water at a        pressure comprised between 2 and 10 bar.    -   a water nozzle or needle 81 for injecting water in the water        inlet of the pack 1.

Preferably the machine comprises a drip tray 86 on which a drinking cup9 can be positioned under the beverage outlet of the pack when abeverage is prepared.

The machine comprises an area (not illustrated) for receiving the packthat is configured so that the pack 1 is positioned with the singleinsert positioned at the bottom of the pack. The pack can be wellcentred and immobilised in the receiving area by a rod (not illustrated)configured for sliding in the centring hole 53 of the single insert(illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5, 6).

Preferably the pack is not pressurized during the beverage preparation.This effect can be obtained by opening the beverage outlet before wateris introduced in the pack or simultaneously to the introduction of thewater in the pack or a little bit after the introduction of the water inthe pack. Consequently globally the beverage is prepared with the bothwater inlet and beverage outlet being opened. The opening of the waterinlet is usually made by a needle 81 for introducing water. As for thebeverage outlet it can be opened by the machine when the pack is placedinside or by the user manually. The illustrated machine comprises abeverage outlet opening means 85, for example a cutter for removing theplug 42 of the beverage outlet of the pack 1 when the pack presents aplug at the beverage outlet. The cutter 85 can be positioned so that theplug of the beverage outlet is automatically cut when the pack isintroduced in the machine or when the beverage preparation is activated.

The present invention presents the advantage of proposing a range ofpacks for producing different beverages presenting various textures andaspects.

The present invention presents the advantage of proposing a range ofpacks for producing the same beverage (for example coffee) withdifferent textures and aspects (for example flat or foamed).

1. A pack with an inner volume in which at least two different food orbeverage ingredients are stored and in which a beverage is produced whenwater is introduced inside, the inner volume being defined by sheets ofmaterial joined to one another at their edges and the inner volumepresenting a generally plane shape defining a plane vertically orientedduring beverage production, the pack comprising at least one inlet forintroducing water in the inner volume and at least one outlet fordelivering the beverage from the inner volume, the water inlet and thebeverage outlet being positioned at the bottom of the pack and being atleast partially positioned between two joined edges of the sheets ofmaterial, the inner volume includes a plurality of compartments, thecompartments being separated by at least one releasable or separablebond, and wherein the at least one water inlet and the at least onewater outlet are positioned between two joined edges of the sheets ofmaterial so that they both establish fluid communication within the samecompartment.
 2. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the inner volumeincludes a plurality of compartments, the compartments being separatedby at least one releasable or separable bond extending across the innervolume between two parts of the joined edges of the sheets of material.3. A pack according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the compartmentsis an insert, the insert being freely movable inside the inner volume.4. A pack according to claim 1 wherein at least one releasable orseparable bond is made of a water dissolvable material.
 5. A packaccording to claim 1 wherein at least one releasable or separable bondis configured for breaking under pressure.
 6. A pack according to claim1 wherein the external end of the water inlet is oriented essentiallyperpendicularly to the plane defined by the inner volume, and thebeverage outlet being a tube extending essentially vertically from theinner volume.
 7. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the pack comprisesone single insert including the water inlet and the beverage outlet, thesingle insert being positioned at the bottom of the pack and beingpartially positioned between two joined edges of the sheets of material.8. A pack according to claim 1 wherein the water inlet is configured forproducing a jet of water in the inner volume, the jet exerting apressure on the at least one releasable or separable bond.
 9. A methodfor the preparation of a food or beverage comprising the steps of:providing a pack with an inner volume in which at least two differentfood or beverage ingredients are stored and in which a beverage isproduced when water is introduced inside, the inner volume being definedby sheets of material joined to one another at their edges and the innervolume presenting a generally plane shape defining a plane verticallyoriented during beverage production, the pack comprising at least oneinlet for introducing water in the inner volume and at least one outletfor delivering the beverage from the inner volume, the water inlet andthe beverage outlet being positioned at the bottom of the pack and beingat least partially positioned between two joined edges of the sheets ofmaterial, the inner volume includes a plurality of compartments, thecompartments being separated by at least one releasable or separablebond, and wherein the at least one water inlet and the at least onewater outlet are positioned between two joined edges of the sheets ofmaterial so that they both establish fluid communication within the samecompartment and positioning the pack with the inlet and the outletpositioned downwardly; injecting water into the pack to mix with thefood or beverage ingredient; and allowing the prepared beverage toescape through the outlet into a receptacle.
 10. A method according toclaim 9 comprising one short step of externally exerting a pressure onthe pack in order to break the at least one releasable or separablebond.